Democratic and Governance Assistant

This is a Full Time Fixed Term Position until 31 January 2027 due to a restructure. Proposed Interview Date: Week Commencing 17th August. This is a career graded post but in view of the current role and responsibilities, it is our intention to appoint at Grade 3.

The postholder will provide essential administrative support to officers and Elected Members of the Council. Duties include monitoring the generic inbox, booking meeting rooms and arranging equipment, distributing agendas and supporting papers, maintaining databases and committee management systems. Strong organisational skills are essential in ensuring these tasks are carried out within statutory timescales.

Experience of working in an office/administrative environment with a good understanding of IT based systems, including Microsoft Office, are essential. Whilst this role is primarily based in Democratic Services there is also a requirement to assist across the service in providing administrative support to all teams as and when required.

• Grade 3
• Carries out the role, including the principal accountabilities outlined under direct supervision.
• Provide a professional, confidential, efficient and comprehensive secretarial, administrative and politically neutral advisory service to assist and support Elected Members and all teams within the service.
• Maintaining diaries, as requested, to assist with effective time management; arranging meetings, making travel, accommodation and hospitality arrangements as required.
• Provide a courteous and responsive service to any enquiries received from the public, officers and outside organisations, either in person or via telephone, referring them onto the appropriate Member or Officer, as necessary, to meet agreed standards.
• Competently use and maintain efficient and secure storage and case management systems, including ICT solutions, for reports, correspondence, information requests etc.
• Provide an efficient distribution service for documents and mail.
• Maintain manual records and filing systems, including tracking the safe receipt and return of confidential legal/social care files; including document scanning and storage of digital copies.
• Process requests for goods and services following procurement procedures, verify deliveries and resolve discrepancies as necessary.
• The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and associated legislation places responsibilities for health and safety on Hull City Council, as your employer and you as an employee of the council. In addition to the Councils overall duties, the post holder has personal responsibility for their own health, safety and wellbeing and that of other employees; additional and more specific responsibilities are identified in the Council’s Corporate H&S policy.
• Grade 4, all of the above plus:
• Prioritise and manage own workload with general supervision, where necessary, using a measure of independence and initiative in order to commence tasks and complete work within deadlines / targets set.
• Draft appropriate responses and deal with routine non-political correspondence and enquiries, as required, using knowledge of the political and management structure of the Council and the reporting / decision making procedures.
• Cover for Member Support Officers, Elections Assistant, Information Governance Assistant and Democratic Services Officer roles, with general supervision.
• Is responsible for a specific caseload i.e. ward support, assists with the management of committees, serving as Clerk and providing advice on basic governance.
• Grade 5, all of the above plus:
• Receive and deal independently with routine internal and external confidential / sensitive enquiries in respect of all elements of the role and decide on any necessary action or referral, seeking advice where necessary.
• Anticipate the needs of the service and Elected Members and respond fully and efficiently to enable them to be more effective in their areas. This will include using knowledge of the political and management structure of the Council and the reporting/ decision making procedures.
• Grade 6, all of the above plus:
• Behaves pro-actively.
• Use initiative by prioritising and managing workload, using judgement, emotional intelligence and understanding of the local government statutory requirements to help the council achieve its outcomes.
• Independently receive and deal with complex and sometimes challenging and contentious internal and external confidential / sensitive enquiries in respect of all elements of the role and decide on any necessary action or referral, seeking advice where necessary.
• In all areas of the service work with a customer focus, supporting Elected Members, Senior Officers and customers in their engagements with the Council. This may involve dealing with customers who are challenging/angry/aggressive.
• Manages the governance of a range of Committees/Panels providing advice and support to both Elected Members and Senior Officers of the Council on a range of matters ensuring the principles of good governance are maintained.
• Undertakes research and analysis to develop proposals to enhance the decision making function of the City Council.
• Leads on the development and management of open data, transparency and publication requirements across the service, including sourcing and updating information Council wide to ensure the Council meets its responsibilities.
• Has an awareness of budget pressures and manages workload, priorities and supports the service to ensure income targets are met.
• Co-ordinates and oversees the service’s website and intranet content to ensure accuracy and consistency.

Benefits of Working of Hull City Council:

• A competitive salary
• An excellent pension through the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• Initially 23 days annual leave depending on length of service. You will also get eight public holidays per year, and three additional days off, one in May/August and one during the Christmas/New Year period
• Career development and learning experiences from a range of training courses and learning methods
• Supportive and forward-thinking culture
• Great career development opportunities

Please ensure that you complete and submit your application by midnight prior to the closing date. We are committed to increasing the diversity, equality, and inclusion within our workforce to represent the people we serve and build an environment in which everyone can feel like they belong. We encourage people from all backgrounds to apply. We adopt a ‘name blind’ approach to shortlisting. Recruiting managers will not have access to personal information, including your name and contact details, until a shortlisting decision has been made. Equality monitoring information is not accessible by recruiting managers at any stage.

The Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

Online searches, including social media, may be carried out as part of the recruitment process.